A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit filed by impeached Deputy Edo Governor, Phillip Shuaibu, and others, seeking to annul Asue Ighodalo’s nomination as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the upcoming governorship election in Edo State.
Justice James Omotosho delivered the judgment on Wednesday, ruling that the suit challenging Ighodalo’s disqualification on grounds of alleged voter’s card forgery was time-barred. According to Justice Omotosho, the pre-election case was filed beyond the 14-day period allowed under Section 285(9) of the Constitution.
The Judge also noted that while forgery or non-possession of a voter’s card could disqualify a candidate under Section 182 of the Constitution, the plaintiffs failed to substantiate their claim that Ighodalo had forged his voter’s card.